Arrangement for reading from and/or writing to flexible sheet media in a curved configuration and method

ABSTRACT

An assembly for transferring information to and/or from flexible sheet media in a highly advantageous curved configuration is disclosed. The sheet material includes a length and a width defining first and second opposing surfaces. The assembly includes support means for supporting the sheet the curved configuration across its width, having the first surface inwardly oriented with respect to the curved configuration. Thereafter, moving means moves the flexible sheet material so supported in a direction along a read/write path generally parallel to the sheet material length and transverse to the direction of curvature. A read/write arrangement is provided which is configured for reading and/or writing information across the width of the first surface of the sheet as the sheet is moved along the path in the curved configuration. In one feature, means is provided for rotationally moving the read/write arrangement in a predetermined way in the housing such that the read/write arrangement is in a confronting relationship with the first, inwardly oriented surface and cooperates with the movement provided by the sheet material moving means so as to cause the read/write arrangement to sequentially read information from and/or write information to the inwardly oriented, first surface of the sheet as the read/write arrangement traverses the width of the flexible sheet material while the latter is on the read/write path in the curved configuration. In another feature, a read and/or write operation may be performed on the second, outwardly oriented surface of the sheet material.

This is a Continuation application of copending prior application Ser.No. 09/165,668, filed on Oct. 3, 1998, the disclosure of which areincorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates generally to arrangements for transferringinformation to and/or from flexible sheet media and more particularly toan arrangement in which the flexible media is supported in a curvedconfiguration across its width and is written to and/or read from insuch curved configuration. An associated method is also disclosed. Theinvention is applicable for use in portable and high speed applications.

The ever decreasing size of personal, portable computers, coupled with acontinuous reduction of the size of these devices has resulted in adramatic rise in their popularity. In fact, portable computers are nowso small as to be referred to appropriately by the term “notebook”computer. Unfortunately, however, there has not been a concurrentreduction in the physical size of certain peripheral devices compatiblewith state-of-the-art notebook computers. One specific example of aperipheral device that has not kept in step with reduction in portablecomputer size is that of the portable printer, as will be described.

Conventional thinking with regard to printing and/or scanning devices isbased on the constraint that the paper is supported flat across itswidth at the point or line on the paper where printing is beingperformed. Thus, the paper is typically curved around a platen orthrough a roller assembly which provides the desired flat configurationacross the width of the paper at least at the point of printing orscanning. Therefore, prior art printing devices have necessarily beenproduced under the constraint that at least one dimension of the deviceis larger than the width across which printing is performed. Moreover,printing in a flat configuration necessitates that the direction oftravel of the print head must be bi-directional i.e., the head mustreturn to the starting edge to print the next line, or at best print thenext line during the return trip. Additionally, the acceleration anddeceleration forces of bi-directional printing create additional wear onthe printer components and significantly reduce the efficiency of thedevice.

It should be mentioned that other prior art devices have also beensubject to the previously described dimensional constraint. Thesedevices include, but are not limited to fax machines and scanners.

The present invention removes the foregoing dimensional constraint in ahighly advantageous and heretofore unseen way which is particularlyuseful in portable and high speed applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As will be described in more detail hereinafter, there is disclosedherein an assembly for transferring information to and/or from flexiblesheet media in a highly advantageous curved configuration. The sheetmaterial includes a length and a width defining first and secondopposing surfaces. The assembly includes support means for supportingthe sheet the curved configuration across its width, having the firstsurface inwardly oriented with respect to the curved configuration.Thereafter, moving means moves the flexible sheet material so supportedin a direction along a read/write path generally parallel to the sheetmaterial length and transverse to the direction of curvature. Aread/write arrangement is provided which is configured for readingand/or writing information across the width of the first surface of thesheet as the sheet is moved along the path in the curved configuration.

In one feature, means is provided for rotationally moving the read/writearrangement in a predetermined way in the housing such that theread/write arrangement is in a confronting relationship with the first,inwardly oriented surface and cooperates with the movement provided bythe sheet material moving means so as to cause the read/writearrangement to sequentially read information from and/or writeinformation to the inwardly oriented, first surface of the sheet as theread/write arrangement traverses the width of the flexible sheetmaterial while the latter is on the read/write path in the curvedconfiguration.

In another feature, a read and/or write operation may be performed onthe second, outwardly oriented surface of the sheet material such thatreading and/or writing may be performed on the second surfaceindependent of a read and/or write operation being performed on thefirst surface. In this way, read/write operations may be performedsimultaneously on the first and second surfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be understood by reference to the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings brieflydescribed below.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of an assembly for readingfrom or writing to flexible sheet material manufactured in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view, looking in a directiontransverse to the read/write path followed by the sheet material,showing details of a sheet feed arrangement which forms part of theassembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view illustrating furtherdetails of the sheet feed arrangement shown in FIG. 2, looking in adirection parallel to the read/write path followed by the sheetmaterial.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing a modified version ofa platter supporting an arrangement of read and write heads for use inthe overall assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing another modifiedversion of a platter supporting an arrangement of write heads for use inthe overall assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing still another modifiedversion of a platter supporting an arrangement of write heads for use inthe overall assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view, in perspective, showing a sheet feedmechanism for selecting individual pieces of sheet material, curving thesheets into the curved configuration of the present invention and,thereafter, directing the curved sheet into the overall assembly.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view, in perspective, showing another sheetfeed mechanism for selecting individual pieces of sheet material,curving the sheets into the curved configuration of the presentinvention using a rotating drum arrangement and, thereafter, directingthe curved sheet into the overall assembly.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged diagrammatic view, in cross-section, illustratingan external ink supply arrangement for use in printing on the outermostsurface of sheet material in the curved configuration of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Attention is immediately directed to FIG. 1 which illustrates a firstembodiment of a system manufactured in accordance with the presentinvention and generally indicated by reference numeral 10 fortransferring information to and/or from flexible sheet material whilethe latter is in a highly advantageous and heretofore unseen curvedconfiguration. Acceptable sheet material for use with the presentinvention includes, but is not limited to paper, card stock, envelopes,thermal paper and transparent acetate or any sheet material capable ofbeing formed into the curved configuration to be described. It should benoted that the dimensions in the figures have been exaggerated withrespect to component size and relative spacing for illustrativepurposes.

Still referring to FIG. 1, first embodiment 10 of the system includes ahousing 12 which defines a generally circular feed slot 14. It is notedthat the outline of housing 12 may include any suitable configurationincluding, for example, curved surfaces. A gap 16 is present between theconfronting ends 17 a and 17 b of feed slot 14. End 17 b of slot 14contains a width adjustment guide 18 for adjusting the circumferentiallength of slot 14. FIG. 1 illustrates a leading edge 21 of sheet 20being inserted into slot 14. Sheet 20 has a length, l, and a width, w,defining a first surface 26 and a second surface 28. The thickness ofsheet 20 is relevant only to the extent that the sheet can be formedinto the desired curved configuration. In accordance with the presentinvention, sheet 20 is curved into a generally circular form acrosswidth w such that the sheet is in the form of a tube or cylinder whichcauses first surface 26 to be interior relative to second surface 28.With regard to the length, l, and width, w, of flexible sheet material20, it is to be understood that these dimensions could be readilyinterchanged by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of this overalldisclosure. However, by configuring the assembly such that slot 14accepts a narrower dimension of the sheet material, the overall size ofthe assembly is reduced. FIG. 1 further illustrates a support arm 30which is movable between an operating position and a storage position(not shown). In the operating position the support arm supports sheet 20while in the storage position, the support arm 30 is housed in a supportarm slot 32 shown by dashed lines.

Attention is now directed primarily to FIG. 2 illustrating a sheet feedsystem generally indicated by reference number 60. With regard to FIG.1, it is noted the feed system is located within a region defined bydashed lines 61 having a cylindrical form. It should also be noted thatlike components are indicated using like reference numbers whereverpossible throughout the various figures. FIG. 2 shows sheet 20 afterhaving moved through the system such that leading edge 21 has passedcompletely therethrough. In accordance with the present invention, sheetfeed system 60 supports sheet 20 in the highly advantageous curvedconfiguration of the present invention while moving sheet 20 in apredetermined way along a path 62 parallel to its length, l, andtransverse to its width, w (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, during operation of first embodiment 10,sheet 20 is inserted (FIG. 1) into slot 14 in the curved configuration.Upon insertion, sheet 20 is engaged by a plurality of feed rollers 66.Feed rollers 66 move sheet 20 through housing 12 during a reading and/orwriting operation. Rotation of feed rollers 66 is accomplished using aplurality of worm gear drive arrangements 68 that are, in turn, rotatedby corresponding pulleys 70 (FIG. 3). Pulleys 70 are driven by a drivebelt 72 supported thereby in cooperation with a number of capstanrollers 74. Power is supplied to drive belt 72 by a drive motor 76. Thelatter may be any suitable type of motor, including but not limited tostepper or servo type motors. During operation of the assembly, thedrive motor causes sheet 20 to advance along path 62 in the indicateddirection. While sheet 20 is moved through housing 12 by sheet feedsystem 60, sheet 20 is supported in the curved read/write configurationof the present invention, as will be described.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a vacuum arrangement 77 is locatedwithin cylinder 61 in FIG. 1 for supporting sheet 20 during a read orwrite operation. In FIG. 2, the vacuum arrangement includes a vacuumplaten 78 defined as an inner surface of an evacuable chamber 79. Vacuumplaten 78 is cylindrical whereby to define the curved configuration ofthe present invention and includes a plurality of throughholes 80 in itsinner surface. A vacuum fan 81 is arranged for drawing air through avacuum duct 82 which is in communication with evacuable chamber 79, thuscausing air to be drawn into throughholes 80. In this manner, sheet 20is biased against vacuum platen 78. Fan 81 may be located within thecurved configuration of the sheet material, as shown, or, alternatively,at some position outside the curved configuration or even outside ofhousing 12 wherein duct 82 may be routed (not shown) through gap 16. Thevacuum arrangement is configured for biasing the sheet material againstvacuum platen 78 while still permitting advancement by rollers 66 duringa read and/or write operation. It should be appreciated that theillustrated feed mechanism is exemplary of only one of many possiblemechanisms, all of which are considered to be within the scope of thepresent invention. For example, sheet 20 could be supported by a spiderroller arrangement (not shown) instead of the illustrated vacuum system.

Referring to FIG. 2, a read/write arrangement is generally indicated byreference number 100. It is noted that in FIG. 1, read/write arrangement100 is located within cylinder 61. Read/write arrangement 100 isconfigured for reading information from or writing information to sheet20 during a read and/or write operation using a head motor 102 whichrotates a platter 103 about an axis 104. Head motor 102 is mounted tohousing 12 using a motor bracket 105 which passes through gap 16 (FIG.1). In this regard, it should be appreciated that any componentsrequiring positioning within the curved configuration formed by sheet 20may utilize mounts which pass through gap 16. A print head 108 and anopposing read head 110 are affixed to platter 103 such that theyconfront sheet 20 during a read and/or write operation and are rotatedin a read/write plane 111 (shown as a dashed line) at a substantiallyconstant distance from the innermost surface of the sheet material.Counter weights (not shown) or any other suitable balancing arrangementmay be used as required to ensure rotational stability during readand/or write operations.

Read/write arrangement 100 cooperates with sheet feed system 60 to readinformation from and/or write information to sheet 20 in read/writeplane 111. In accomplishing this, sheet 20 may be divided into lines orsections (not shown) across width w (FIG. 1). As sheet feed system 60advances sheet 20, a particular line of sheet 20 is aligned at any onetime with read/write plane 111 in which print head 108 and read head 110rotate. As read/write arrangement 100 rotates these heads in aconfronting relationship with this particular line, information may bewritten to or read from the line using one of the heads. Feed system 60then advances sheet 20 such that the next line of sheet 20 is alignedwith the read/write plane. Ideally, sheet 20 is advanced to the nextline as the print head and/or read head traverses gap 16. In this way,read/write arrangement 60 may rotate constantly and in a singledirection. It should be appreciated that the rotational speed and gapwidth govern the gap transition time during which sheet 20 is advanced.This results in at least one significant advantage in readinginformation from and/or writing information to flexible sheet materialin accordance with the present invention. Specifically, because thesystem may read or write in a single direction and at constant speed,the system is not encumbered by the need for accelerating anddecelerating the print and/or read heads each time the heads read and/orwrite a different line on the sheet, as is seen, for example, inconventional ink jet printers. This feature is highly advantageous inallowing printing to take place at high speed and with less wear on themoving parts of the system. With constant rotational speed there is norequirement for rotational position determination. An index markcorresponding to the edge of the paper can be used as an initialreference and timing relative to a rotating head passing the referencemark can be used to establish a position later in rotation. The initialindex reference may comprise, for example, the edge of the page asidentified using a read head.

Still referring to FIG. 2, in a helical scanning embodiment of thepresent invention, read/write arrangement 100 may be positioned inhousing 12 such that read/write plane 111, in which print and/or readheads rotate, is slightly skewed (not shown), for example, at an angleof approximately 1° with respect to a line perpendicular to path 62followed by sheet 20. The skewed relationship allows sheet feed system60 to move sheet 20 through housing 12 continuously at a constant rateeven while reading or writing is taking place. In this instance, asprint head 108 or read head 110 completes a read or write operationalong one line, the next line is positioned such that reading or writingmay continue along this next line after the head traverses gap 16.Essentially, the read or write head traces a continuous spiral downsheet 20 as sheet feed system 60 moves the sheet through the housing.Moreover, the skew angle may be based on the width of the line to beread or written. For example, if read head 110 or print head 108 have aheight typically comprising more than one character or line the angle ofskew may be increased. Conversely, if a single row of pixels is to beread or written across the width of the page, the skew angle may bereduced below 1°.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that read/writearrangement 100 may be modified in an essentially unlimited number ofways (not shown). For example, a plurality of platters may be providedwherein one platter performs writing and another platter performsreading in separate write and read planes. As will be further described,a specially configured platter may not require rotation. In such aninstance, the curved configuration of the present invention need not becircular as illustrated. For example, an elliptical shape could be used.Moreover, platters, cartridges, other head support arrangements, andheads themselves may be configured for replacement and/or interchange.

Turning now to FIG. 4 wherein another modification of read/writearrangement is illustrated. In this modification, a platter 112 isillustrated for use in the read/write arrangement which includes fourwrite heads indicated as 113 a-d. The write heads may be integrallyformed as part of ink cartridges 114 a-d. In addition, a pair of readheads is provided as indicated by reference numbers 115 a and 115 b. Itis noted that the configuration of platter 112 may be changed in anysuitable manner. For example, one of the read heads may be eliminated.As another example, one or more of ink cartridges 114 may be eliminated.In this regard, the provision of multiple cartridges is useful inperforming color printing. Separate cartridges may contain, for example,cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, in one feature, ink may be provided to printheads in various ways. For example, platter 103 of FIG. 2 may supportfour print heads orthogonally arranged in the manner of FIG. 4. Ink maybe supplied to the print heads from a plurality of four stackedreservoir disks 120 (indicated as dashed lines in FIG. 2) with aseparate disk for each color of ink used during a writing process.Moreover, the disks may be supported, for example, on an opposite sideof platter 103 with respect to the print heads. Of course, the number ofstacked disks may vary in accordance with the number of colors requiredfor printing. The disks are centered for rotation about axis 104. Byvarying the disk thickness, the stacked disks may be configured to holdpredetermined amounts of particular ink colors based on anticipatedusage of that particular color. Stacked disks 120 may alternativelydefine a number of different ink chamber shapes, including ring-likestructures or triodes to be described immediately hereinafter. Inksupply tubes (not shown) may advantageously utilize centripetal force tofeed ink to the write head based on appropriate routing on and throughplatter 103. While the write heads associated with each ink chamber maybe located in read/write plane 111, each chamber may be configured as anink cartridge with an integral write head (not shown) such thatdifferent ink colors are written to sheet 20 in different planes.

FIG. 5 illustrates another multi-color ink chamber arrangement wherein aplurality of ink chambers 121 are arranged as concentric disks ortoroids attached, for example, to platter 103 arranged for feeding inkto write heads 113 a-d. The write heads may be positioned on theopposite side of the platter from ink chambers 121 with appropriateprovisions for providing ink to the heads, as discussed above. Thisarrangement may be advantageous since colors which require less inkusage during average printing operations may be placed in smaller, innerchambers.

Referring to FIG. 6, still another multi-color ink chamber arrangementis illustrated wherein a plurality of ink chambers 122 are arranged aswedge or pie shaped chambers surrounding axis 104 of rotation of platter103 such that chambers 122 are essentially coplanar with respect to axis104.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, in another feature, ink may besupplied from one or more reservoirs (not shown) located external to thecurved configuration of sheet 20. Accordingly, ink may be suppliedadvantageously along axis 104 by forming one or more ink passages (notshown) positioned along the axis and in communication, for example, withprint head 108 via a swivel fitting at the center of rotation of theplatter. This feature is advantageous in contemplated high speedprinting applications wherein many sheets may be printed without thefrequent need to replace ink cartridges, as the reservoirs may besufficiently large to accommodate the volume of printing desired. Thisfeature has the further advantage that ink may readily be added toreservoirs, rather than being supplied in cartridges, thus making theprocess more economical.

As mentioned above, a read and/or write arrangement is contemplatedwhich does not rotate. Specifically a read or write mechanism may beprovided (not shown) having a peripheral read and/or write headconfronting sheet 20 such that the read/write arrangement is capable ofreading or writing at once across the entire width of sheet 20. Thisarrangement is particularly advantageous for use in facsimileapplications, for example, utilizing thermal paper for the printingaspect of the operation, and for scanning operations, although theembodiment is certainly not limited to these applications.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a first sheet feed mechanism isdiagrammatically illustrated as indicated by the reference number 130.Sheet feed system 130 includes, for example, a paper tray 132 whichprovides individual sheets 20 from an overall stack 134 to a formingarrangement 136. During operation, the sheet feed system sequentiallyselects one sheet 20 from stack 134 and, thereafter, feeds the sheet toforming arrangement 136. Forming arrangement 136 accepts the sheet inflat form at an input end 138 and outputs the sheet at an output end 140in the curved configuration of the present invention to slot 14 (FIG.1). Any suitable mechanism may be employed in sheet feed system 130, asmay be configured by one of ordinary skill in the art so long as thedescribed functions are implemented. For example, a vacuum platenarrangement (not shown) could be utilized in the forming arrangement inview of previous teachings. Moreover, sheet 20 may be provided in rollform, in which case width w remains constant while length l may varyfrom sheet to sheet. This is particularly advantageous in the instanceof thermal-type paper which is commonly provided in roll form and cut tolength following a write operation.

Turning to FIG. 8, a second sheet feed mechanism is diagrammaticallyillustrated as indicated by the reference number 160 configured forfeeding a stack 162 of flexible sheet material 20 into overall system10. Sheet feed mechanism 160 includes a housing 164 which interfaceswith a tray 166 that, in turn, holds stack 162 of flexible sheetmaterial. Housing 164 supports a drum motor 168 having a rotating outputshaft 170 that, in turn, rotates a cylindrical feed drum 172. The latterdefines an evacuable cavity 174 which is interfaced with a vacuumarrangement (not shown) which produces a vacuum within the cavity. Anouter surface of the feed drum defines a plurality of throughholes 178through which air is drawn by the vacuum arrangement. During operation,one sheet of flexible material is selected from stack 162 and fed todrum 172. Through its rotation, drum 172 picks up the selected sheet andforms it into the curved configuration of the present invention as aresult of the sheet being drawn against the feed drum by means of thevacuum arrangement. Thereafter, the selected sheet is translated in adirection indicated by an arrow 180 by a sheet advance mechanism (notshown) that may be arranged, for example, about the periphery of drum172 such that leading edge 21 of the sheet enters slot 14 for printingand/or scanning operations, as described above.

It should be appreciated that reading and writing operations may takeplace on an individual sheet of flexible material simultaneously in theinstance where separate read and write heads are provided having a fixedi.e., indexed relationship between the read and write heads. Thisfeature is particularly useful in the application of filling in blankson pre-printed forms in an interactive manner, for example, interfacedwith a personal computer.

Referring again to FIG. 2, an arrangement 200 may be provided forreading from or writing to second, outer surface 28 of sheet material20. In this regard, it should be appreciated that reading from orwriting to outer surface 28 is facilitated by the curved configurationof the present invention since normal thicknesses of sheet material 20are relatively rigid when supported in the curved configuration.Arrangement 200 includes a bearing assembly having a first, circularbearing race 202 supported in a suitable manner adjacent one end ofsystem 10. In this instance, arrangement 200 is in proximity to theoutput end of system 10. A second bearing race 204 is rotatably engagedagainst the first race by a plurality of bearings 206. Second bearingrace 204 supports a pair of read and/or write heads 208 a and 208 b. Amotor 210 includes an output shaft 212 which engages a belt 214 (onlypartially shown) so as to selectively rotate second bearing race 204 andits associated read/write heads. Arrangement 200 may be modified in anysuitable manner so long as selective rotation of the read/write heads isprovided relative to second surface 28 of sheet material 20. Forexample, the number and position of the heads may be altered or otherforms of rotational configurations may be implemented. Arrangement 200may include print heads forming part of an overall cartridge (not shown)which contain ink in a manner similar to that previously described. Inthis regard, it should be appreciated that the ink cartridges must beconfigured in a way which overcomes the centripetal force on the ink asa result of rotation. For example, the cartridge could include a pump orinflatable bladder (neither of which are shown) which pressurizes theink to force the ink to the print head(s). Power and control signals forthe read/write heads may be provided, for example, through a slip ringarrangement (not shown).

Alternatively, ink may be supplied to print heads by the arrangementshown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 diagrammatically illustrates an external inksupply feature which may form part of arrangement 200 wherein anexternal ink supply is provided for feeding ink to one or more writeheads arranged about the periphery of bearing race 204. In accordancewith this feature, a rotating ink reservoir 250 is supported by bearingrace 204 so as to rotate along with read/write heads 208 a and 208 bwithin printing range of outer surface 28 of sheet material 20. An inksupply tube 209 routes ink from the outer periphery of rotatingreservoir 250 to heads 208 by the centripetal force on the ink resultingfrom rotation. Rotating ink reservoir 250 includes an annular slot 251(which appears here as a gap in the periphery of the ink reservoir). Afill tube 252 projects through slot 251. Fill tube 252 is stationarywith respect to the rotating ink reservoir and is communication with theinterior of a stationary ink reservoir 254. A sensing element 255detects the ink level within rotating ink reservoir 250 so as to avoidoverfilling the rotating reservoir causing ink to escape from slot 251.When arrangement 200 is not rotating, the sensing element may bepositioned at a lowermost position of the circular path followed duringrotation such that the sensor may detect the ink level in the rotatingreservoir in a way which avoids ink escaping from annular slot 251.Moreover, a parting seal arrangement (not shown) may be provided to sealslot 251 such that ink is not only prevented from escaping, but the inkpresent in the rotating reservoir is not subject to drying out when theprinter is idle.

When arrangement 200 is rotating, sensing element 253 detects when thereservoir 250 is full. For a rotating condition, centripetal forces holdthe ink to the outer circumference of the reservoir 250 to facilitatemeasurement of the ink level during rotation as well as forcing the inkto flow to heads 208. It should be appreciated that the fillrequirements for rotating and stationary conditions can be different andmore than one sensor may be used. Other components of the system includecontroller 256 and valve 258. In some applications a pump (not shown)may be required to facilitate ink flow. Reservoir 250 may also includebaffles or an absorbent material (neither of which is shown) such as,for example, a sponge to prevent sloshing of the ink during transitionfrom stationary to rotating and vice versa. For multiple color printing,reservoir 250 could be divided into arc segments. Multiple ink supplytubes may be employed using a timed relationship to inject the ink intothe various segments of the reservoir when the appropriate segment is inalignment with its respective supply tube. In another alternative,concentric reservoirs (not shown) similar to reservoir 250 may beprovided with each reservoir supplying a different color, eachconcentric reservoir having a different radius or being located at adifferent position long the axis of rotation.

By using arrangement 200, both sides of sheet material 20 may be readfrom or written to. It should also be appreciated that system 10 may beutilized, for example, in a two-sided digital copier arrangement whereinone implementation scans both sides of sheets to be copied while anotherimplementation prints onto both sides of blank sheets.

Based on this disclosure, it is considered that the present invention isadaptable for use with virtually any type of printing mechanismincluding, but not limited to ink jet printing, bubble jet printing oreven laser printing applications.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments and methods described herein. Any arrangement or methoduseful in reading information from or writing information to flexiblesheet material while the latter is curved across its width is consideredto be within the scope of the present invention. For example, recallingthe configuration of FIG. 1 and in one modification related tohigh-speed printing, the motor which rotates print or read heads mayphysically be mounted at a lateral distance from the read/write planesby mounting the read/write heads on a mandrel which extends into thecurved configuration of the sheet material during a read or writeoperation. In this manner, gap 16 may be eliminated such that thelengthwise edges of the sheet material directly confront one another,eliminating time required for the heads to translate the gap. Followingreading or writing, the lengthwise edges may separate so as to pass bythe motor mount or any other required mount. Moreover, it should befurther noted that any rotating read/write arrangement and associatedmethod is considered to be within the scope of the present invention.Therefore, the present examples are to be considered as illustrative andnot restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the detailsgiven herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. In an assembly for reading information fromand/or writing information to at least one sheet of flexible sheetmaterial, said sheet having a length and a width defining first andsecond opposing surfaces and opposing lengthwise and widthwise edges, amethod comprising the steps of: supporting said sheet in a curvedconfiguration across said width such that said first surface is inwardlyoriented with respect to said curved configuration to substantiallydefine a cylindrical shape having said lengthwise edges positioned in aconfronting relationship; moving said flexible sheet material sosupported in a direction along a lengthwise path generally parallel tosaid length and transverse to the direction of curvature withoutrotation of the flexible sheet material about the lengthwise path; andfixing a read/write arrangement at least in the direction of movement ofthe flexible sheet material on said lengthwise path for performing atleast one of reading and writing information across the width of saidfirst surface of said sheet as the sheet is supported on said path insaid curved configuration.
 2. The method according to claim 1 whereinsaid supporting step positions the lengthwise edges spaced apart fromone another to define a gap therebetween in said confrontingrelationship.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said supporting stepbiases said second, outer surface of said sheet against a supportsurface defining said curved configuration.
 4. The method of claim 1further comprising the steps of: sequentially selecting successive onesof said sheet material from a stack of flexible sheets, at leastpartially curving the selected sheet; and as an initial portion of saidsupporting step, causing a leading, widthwise edge of said selectedsheet to move into said curved configuration.
 5. The method of claim 1including the step of configuring the read/write arrangement for readingand/or writing information across the width of said second surface ofsaid sheet in an outward orientation of said curved configuration. 6.The method of claim 5 including the step of using said read/writearrangement for at least one of reading and writing information toand/or from said first surface while simultaneously reading and/orwriting information to or from said second surface in said curvedconfiguration.
 7. The method of claim 6 including the step ofconfiguring the read/write arrangement for selectively supporting one ofeither a read head or a write head such that either a read operation ora write operation may selectively take place.
 8. The method of claim 1further comprising the steps of using sheet feeder means for (i)sequentially selecting successive ones of said sheet material from astack of flexible sheets, (ii) at least partially curving the selectedsheet, and (iii) causing a leading, widthwise edge of said selectedsheet to engage said support means.
 9. The method of claim 1 includingthe step of selectively supporting one of either a read head or a writehead in said read/write arrangement such that either a read operation ora write operation may selectively take place.
 10. The method of claim 1wherein said flexible sheet material is pre-printed having at least oneblank and said method includes the steps of (i) configuring theread/write arrangement to include at least one read head and at leastone write head with an indexed relationship therebetween, (ii) locatingthe blank using the read head and (iii) writing to said blank using thewrite head.
 11. The method of claim 1 including the steps of bothreading from and writing to said flexible sheet material in separateread and write operations.
 12. The method of claim 1 including the stepsof providing at least one ink reservoir as part of the read/writearrangement and providing at least one write head for receiving ink fromsaid reservoir and applying the ink to said sheet material.
 13. Themethod of claim 12 wherein said supporting step positions the lengthwiseedges spaced apart from one another to define a gap therebetween in saidconfronting relationship and including the step of routing ink from saidreservoir to said write head such that ink passes through said gap fromthe reservoir to an interior space of said curved configuration for usein writing on said sheet material.
 14. The method of claim 12 includingthe steps of rotationally moving said read/write arrangement about anaxis such that said read/write arrangement moves across the firstsurface of the sheet material in a confronting relationship andcooperates with the movement along the lengthwise path so as tosequentially write to said first surface of said sheet as saidread/write arrangement traverses the width of said flexible sheetmaterial while the latter is on said path in said curved configurationand defining an ink supply passage which is positioned at least in partgenerally along said axis for routing the ink from the reservoir to theread/write arrangement.
 15. The method of claim 12 including the step ofintegrally forming said read/write arrangement and said ink reservoir asan ink cartridge.
 16. The method of claim 12 including the step ofproviding at least one additional ink reservoir.
 17. The method of claim12 wherein the step providing the ink reservoir includes the step ofpositioning the reservoir outside of an interior space formed by thecurved configuration of said flexible sheet material.
 18. The method ofclaim 12 including the step of positioning said reservoir within aninterior space formed by the curved configuration of said flexible sheetmaterial.
 19. The method of claim 12 including the step of positioningat least two ink reservoirs within an interior space formed by thecurved configuration of said flexible sheet material.
 20. The method ofclaim 19 including the step of arranging said reservoirs generallyadjacent one another along said lengthwise path.
 21. The method of claim19 including the positioning said reservoirs generally coplanar withrespect to said lengthwise path.
 22. The method of claim 21 includingthe step of configuring said reservoirs as adjacent wedge-shapedchambers.
 23. The method of claim 1 including the step of delivering inkfrom the reservoir to the write head using the force of gravity.
 24. Themethod of claim 23 including the steps of rotationally moving saidread/write arrangement such that said read/write arrangement movesacross the first surface of the sheet material in a confrontingrelationship and cooperates with the movement along the lengthwise pathso as to sequentially write to said first surface of said sheet as saidread/write arrangement traverses the width of said flexible sheetmaterial while the latter is on said path in said curved configurationand using at least centripetal force of said rotation to cause said inkto flow from said reservoir to said write head.
 25. The method of claim1 including the steps of rotationally moving said read/write arrangementin a predetermined way such that said read/write arrangement is in aconfronting relationship with said first, inwardly oriented surface andcooperates with the movement along the lengthwise path and defining agap having a predetermined width between the confronting lengthwiseedges, as part of said curved configuration, and extending along thelength of said lengthwise path and arranging said read/write arrangementto include at least one of a read head and a write head which traversesthe predetermined width of said gap during said rotational movement ofthe read/write arrangement.
 26. The method of claim 25 including thesteps of traversing said gap at a particular rate using said head orheads while advancing said sheet by a predetermined increment along saidlengthwise path as said read/write arrangement traverses said gap, andholding said sheet stationary as the read/write arrangement traversesthe width of said sheet.
 27. The method of claim 26 including the stepsof advancing said sheet by a single line of information as said head orheads traverse said gap such that a following line is read or writtenafter each advance of said sheet and an unread or unwritten portion ofsaid sheet is positioned for reading and/or writing with each advance ofsaid sheet as said head or heads traverse said gap.
 28. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said read/write arrangement includes at least one of aread head and a write head and said method includes the step of rotatingsaid read/write arrangement at a substantially constant distance fromthe first, inwardly oriented surface of said flexible sheet material insaid curved configuration during reading or writing.
 29. The method ofclaim 28 said rotating step rotates the head in a generally circularpath.
 30. The method of claim 28 wherein said rotating step rotates thehead in one direction.
 31. The method of claim 28 wherein said rotatingstep rotates said head at a substantially constant rate.
 32. The methodof claim 1 wherein said read/write arrangement includes at least oneread/write head and said method includes the step of rotating theread/write head in a read/write plane.
 33. The method of claim 32including the step of positioning the read/write plane at a skewed anglewith respect to said lengthwise path.
 34. The method of claim 33 whereinsaid read/write plane is skewed at an angle of approximately 1 degreewith respect to perpendicular to the lengthwise path.
 35. The method ofclaim 32 including the steps of continuously rotating the read/writehead during a read/write operation and sequentially reading from and/orwriting to substantially parallel sections defined across the width ofsaid flexible sheet material.
 36. The method of claim 1 including thestep of reading and/or writing information across the width of saidsecond surface of said sheet in an outward orientation of said curvedconfiguration.
 37. The method of claim 36 including the step ofsimultaneously reading and/or writing information to or from said firstsurface while reading and/or writing information to or from said secondsurface in said curved configuration.